


Arms Unfolding

by KarinaMay



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: (no really), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Conversations, Blow Jobs, Enthusiastic Consent, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Jester is a Helpful Friend, Light Angst, M/M, Porn with Feelings, Smut, many feelings, more feelings than porn really, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:46:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27215137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KarinaMay/pseuds/KarinaMay
Summary: It is a good thing that the Mighty Nein are busy enough to keep Caleb's mind occupied. Most of the time, that is. Because after the big reveal in Nicodranes, every time he has a moment to himself, his thoughts are haunted by silver eyes and a voice drenched in regret that make his heart ache.Essek isnotbusy, and while spending his time trying to make up for past mistakes, he keeps thinking about the friends he made on accident. The friends same he lost again without wanting to. One in particular. Steadying him, holding him, grounding him. But now he was alone in his tower and those hands weren't there to reassure him, and though Essek had spent most of his life on his own, he'd never felt thisalone.Or in which Caleb and Essek finally talk.EDIT: smut is only in the second chapter for all y'all who aren't here for that <3
Relationships: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 32
Kudos: 277





	1. Chapter 1

It was a good thing that the Mighty Nein hardly ever took a breather. No matter where they went or what they set out to do, chaos was sure to follow close behind. It had been hard on Caleb in the beginning but he’d grown accustomed to it, liked it even. It was part of being with them, being with this newfound family. 

The chaos had been a particularly welcome distraction the past few weeks. Since the negotiations between the Empire and the Dynasty they’d had enough on their minds - from getting chased by a dragon turtle and fighting a creature from the Astral Sea, to everything that had happened at Traveler Con. Still there had been moments, quiet moments in between the mayhem where Caleb had found himself with too much time to think about something he’d rather not think about. Someone he’d rather not think about. 

Every night, right before he fell asleep, his mind’s eye conjured a pair of silver eyes staring back at him. Eyes full of shame and pain and doubt. Eyes of someone who felt they don’t deserve forgiveness. Familiar feelings, feelings Caleb recognized, and though they occurred less and less, he still felt on his worst days. 

With the eyes came a voice. A voice Caleb had known for so long to always stayed soft, controlled and diplomatic, but had become fragile, shaking and insecure.  _ There is no path to redemption for me. _

Sometimes Caleb was angry in those quiet moments. Angry at Essek, for not trusting them. Angry at himself for letting his guard down and trusting Essek first. Sometimes he was sad, sharing the pain in Essek’s eyes and suppressing the tears he’d feel well up in his eyes. Sad because his friends had been quick to condemn Essek, even when the difference between him and Caleb seemed almost nonexistent. The worst nights he was scared. Scared for Essek to be found out, scared of what might happen to him. Scared of how much he still cared about all of those things. 

Because those eyes made Caleb want to reach out and pull Essek close to him again, like he had on the ship, but hold on to him this time, not let him go, not let him leave. As long as Caleb was holding on to him at least he could be sure Essek was safe. Instead he was hundreds of miles away with no way to contact Essek - at least not without Jester’s help. 

* * *

Essek hadn’t left his tower since the negotiations had been completed, outside of his obligatory meetings with the Bright Queen. Every time he’d gone to see her, he’d been sure it would be the last time he’d make his way through the city. But every time it had been fine. It seemed his secrets were still safe.

He was working on burying them, deep enough so no one could ever dig them up, but it was a long process that involved going back over almost a century of selfish actions. What made it harder was the fact that he couldn’t concentrate. His usual unyielding focus was gone. He kept remembering the various reactions of his friends - if he could he even still call them that - to his betrayal. Between the seven of them, every reaction had hit Essek differently. Caducues’ forgiveness had seemed beyond reason. Jester had tried so hard to twist the story in Essek’s favour, and Essek should’ve realized before how much she truly cared about him beneath the chaos. Yasha’s immediate instinct to protect her friends no matter what made sense to him; he felt it too. 

And then there had been Caleb. Caleb, with a storm behind his blue eyes, different feelings crashing and melting together into an understanding that Essek should’ve expected but still felt he didn’t deserve. Caleb’s hand on his cheek, holding him, steadying him, grounding him. Caleb’s lips against his skin, reassuring him.  _ You’re not alone. You’re like me.  _

And yet here he was, alone. 

Maybe the rest of the Mighty Nein had convinced Caleb that Essek was beyond forgiveness - rightfully so. Maybe Caleb hadn’t needed much convincing. 

Regardless, Essek missed them. The chaos, the joy, the feeling of having friends for the first time. And he missed Caleb most of all. An irrational amount really. 

* * *

It took two days for his friends to catch on. They’d stayed in Nicodranes for a bit before moving on to Rexxentrum, and although Caleb had done his best to keep himself and them occupied in his hometown, his melancholy must’ve been notable after all. Caduceus had to have been the first to notice, but it had been Beau who’d said something first. Concern disguised as a complaint.  _ Hells, Caleb, you’ve been so down lately it’s rubbing off on the rest of us, cheer the fuck up! _ He’d smiled at her, apologized. He knew well enough that these days she’d wait for him to talk, on his terms, when he was ready. 

It was Jester who cornered him. It was the evening he’d shown them the tower, finally, after working on it for so long. He’d been genuinely excited to show them, and they’d been as happy with it as he’d hoped they’d be. The evening had been a whirlwind, from the terrors of the dinner at Trent Ikithon’s home to the joys of their new portable home. Caleb settled in his room for the night, mind still buzzing with all of the impressions of the day, but in the calm and quiet of his own quarters his thoughts started drifting in a familiar direction again. 

It was bizarre, given the amount of more pressing matters he needed to be considering, but there were those silver eyes again. 

There was a soft knock on the door as Caleb lit his fireplace.

“Ja, come in,” Caleb called.

He turned to see Jester appear, slipping through the door and closing it softly behind her. 

Caleb smiled at his friend. “Everything all right, Jester? You know you can ask the cats if you need anything.”

“Oh, yes, I know,” Jester said, walking over and promptly settling in one of the chairs by the fire. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Okay,” Caleb said, sitting down as well. 

“Are you okay?” Jester asked softly, eyes steady on his. 

Caleb snorted. “No, not at all.”

“Is it just the dinner?” Jester asked. “Because Trent is terrible and I really think we should kill him sometime. But Astrid and Eodwulf seemed kinda nice.”

“I think they are nice,” Caleb agreed. “I’m not sure how much of Trent is in their heads these days, though.”

“It’s not just them, though, is it?” Jester asked. “You’ve been so sad lately, Caleb. Not just here in Rexxentrum but before as well.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Caleb said. “We have important issues at hand.”

Jester studied his face for a moment, eyebrows knitted together as if she was trying to see into his mind. 

“Essek is important, too, you know,” she said then, eyes still fixated on his face. 

If it was a guess, it was a good one, but Caleb was starting to suspect she’d been paying more attention to him than he’d previously thought. He averted his eyes, looking at the flames dancing in the fireplace. 

“I know he’s done some terrible things,” Jester continued. “But so have we. And it’s not like we’ve told  _ him  _ all of them either. And he’s trying to fix things now. He’s still our friend, right, Caleb?”

“He betrayed us, Jester,” Caleb said softly. 

“Well… Kinda, I guess,” Jester said. “Are you angry at him?”

“Sometimes.”

“Me too.”

Caleb’s eyes were still fixed on the flames, finding comfort in their dance. He heard Jester get up and saw her move toward him in his periphery. She knelt down on the floor in front of him, grabbing hold of his hands. 

“It’s different for you, though, isn’t it,” she said. 

“Is it?” Caleb asked. 

“It’s hard when someone you care about hurts you like that. But I think maybe you should just talk to him? He probably feels really bad as well, I’m sure he would like to talk to you as well. He really like hanging out with you before.”

“I don’t know, Jester, I don’t think-”

“Plus he’s like super duper in love with you and I’m pretty sure he misses you very much.”

Caleb couldn’t help but snort. “I’m not sure that matters, even if it’s true.”

“Of course it matters!” Jester said. “It matters to you, so it matters. So you have a crush on a war criminal, who cares! Technically we’re all war criminals. I think? Go see him, Caleb, we have another day tomorrow, just bamf to Rosohna. I can make up a story to the others if you don’t want them to know.”

It was a tempting idea, now that she’d put it into his head. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” Caleb said. “We have so much to do here before we leave, and without me you won’t be able to travel if necessary.”

“We’ll be fine!” Jester said. “We can go one day without you, you know. And I can send you a message if anything happens.”

“I-”

“Caleb, do you want to go?”

“Ja - yes, yes I do,” he admitted finally. 

Jester squeezed his hands. “Then you should just do it.”

* * *

It had been a bit tricky to get away from the rest of the Nein, but with Jester’s help they’d at least let him go, although he doubted they didn’t all know exactly what he was doing by now. As sweet as Jester was, she wasn’t very good at keeping secrets. Not from their friends anyway. She had sent a message ahead for him to the Lucid Bastion to alert them to Caleb’s arrival. After breakfast, Caleb returned to their mediocre room, searched for a moment for his symbol of the Bright Queen, pinned it onto his coat, and started drawing the lines of the teleportation circle. 

It was strange to step through the circle on his own. The halls of the Lucid Bastion seemed even more imposing now that he wasn’t surrounded by his friends. He had to force himself to keep his chin up, walk with confidence. He was allowed to be there and he shouldn’t let anyone think of questioning that, otherwise he might get into real trouble. 

During his walk from the Bastion to where Essek lived in the Firmaments, Caleb allowed himself to enjoy being in Rosohna for a moment. He’d grown to like the city in the amount of time they’d spent there until now. The everlasting night was something he’d never get used to, but otherwise the city was beautiful, and always peaked Caleb’s interests. 

It only dawned on him that Essek may not be home when he reached the gate that led to his towers. He stood there a moment, unsure what to do, when he noticed the door behind the gate clicking open and Essek appeared. He hovered there for a moment when he recognized Caleb standing on the other side of the gate, and Caleb suppressed the urge to run. Then Essek waved his hand and the gate clicked open, allowing Caleb inside. Caleb walked down the path up to where Essek was standing in the doorway.

“I didn’t know you were in town,” Essek started. “The Bright Queen didn’t inform-”

“It’s just me,” Caleb interrupted. “I mean - my friends are still in the Empire. I’m the only one here. I just teleported half an hour ago. I wanted to talk to you. I should’ve let Jester send a message ahead, I’m sorry. If it’s inconvenient I’ll go.”

“No, no,” Essek said quickly. “Come in, please.”

* * *

Essek’s heart was pounding, mirroring Caleb’s footsteps that echoed behind him in the hallway as they made their way to the living room. They sat down by the fireplace that Caleb seemed to light out of reflex, eyebrows drawn close together, deep in thought. 

“What can I help you with, Caleb?” Essek asked. Talking was hard but the silence was unbearable. 

Caleb looked up at him, confused. “Oh, nein, I don’t need anything from you, I just wanted to - talk, I suppose.”

“I appreciate that,” Essek said. “I didn’t think any of you would again after the negotiations were over. But I’m unsure what to say other than the things I’ve already said before.”

“Say sorry,” Caleb said. 

The words stung in Essek’s chest, sharp and mean. 

“Not for all the things you’ve done in the past,” Caleb added. “Say sorry to us. To me. I was so careful around you for so long, and when I finally came to trust you, it turned out I was right all along. You should’ve been honest, Essek. Maybe not from the start, but we were  _ friends _ . You  _ know  _ about me. And yet you didn’t let me see  _ you _ .”

“I am sorry,” Essek said. His eyes were stinging. Years and years of court training had taught him to keep his emotions in check but he found it hard now to suppress the tears. “I didn’t think I’d care. And when I did it seemed too late. And I guess I didn’t want to tell you all because I was afraid of losing the only friends I’d ever made. Of course I did anyway.”

“You didn’t,” Caleb said softly. “We do care, Essek. But we’ve all been hurt by this and we all deal with it differently. But you haven’t lost us.”

Caleb’s words seemed to contradict the pain he was showing on his face. It was hard to look at, and yet Essek couldn’t look away. He hadn’t thought he’d see Caleb again, and he hadn’t dared to admit to himself before now just how much he’d wanted to. They were quiet for a moment, studying each others’ faces. Essek wondered what thoughts might be racing through Caleb’s mind. 

“I’m trying to make up for it,” Essek said after a while. “Most things I’ve done I can’t revert, only bury, but maybe I can compensate somehow.”

“I was where you are now not so long ago,” Caleb said. “And then I made friends. Good friends who showed me that life is beyond selfishness. They are more than my friends now, they are my family. They changed me. They could help you change, too.”

“Would they?” Essek asked. “They aren’t here. It’s just you.”

“They would. That’s not why they’re not here,” Caleb said. “I just - I needed to come alone.”

“Do they know you’re here?”

“I imagine so,” Caleb answered. “Jester knows.”

“Ah, of course. I’m touched they’d let you come alone. That shows some remaining trust.”

“Maybe they think I’m capable enough to take care of myself.”

“Maybe.”

* * *

“Why  _ are  _ you alone, Caleb?” Essek asked again.

Sitting here, now, Caleb finally knew the answer. Or he’d known it the whole time, he just hadn’t fully admitted it. He didn’t  _ care  _ what Essek had done in the past. Not really. All he saw in front of him was a familiarly broken man who didn’t feel he deserved a second chance, but Caleb knew he did. 

Caleb got up out of his chair and walked over to Essek, kneeling down in front of him like Jester had done the night before. He carefully took Essek’s hands in his own, slowly, giving Essek enough time to deny the touch. He didn’t. 

“I came to tell you something important,” Caleb said. “Something you need to hear. I forgive you.”

Essek blinked. “Why?”

“Because I have to,” Caleb said. He didn’t list all the reasons for it, they didn’t matter at the moment. Instead, with his eyes still on Essek, slowly again, he slid his hands up Essek’s arms until they came to cup his face. Essek, who’d always shown reluctance when it came to physical contact, didn’t turn away, didn’t flinch. His silver eyes were wide, locked on Caleb’s. 

Caleb leaned forward, stopping when his nose nearly touched Essek. This close he could see the small specks of lilac in the silver of his eyes, the long, curved white lashes surrounding them. Essek didn’t move, didn’t back away. 

“I have to,” Caleb said again, and he closed the gap between them, pressing their lips together. A second seemed to last an eternity, but then one of Essek’s hand came up and slid into Caleb’s hair at the back of his neck, pulling him against himself more firmly. Relief washed over Caleb and he allowed himself to finally focus on feeling. Essek’s lips were soft, his long fingers sliding into Caleb’s hair surprisingly warm. 

“I understand,” Essek murmured against his lips. 

And Caleb knew he did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is smut. That's pretty much it.

Caleb felt like his mind was exploding with the amount of new information he was processing. The feeling of Essek’s lips against his own, the smooth texture of his skin beneath his fingertips. Caleb couldn’t help but open his eyes slightly and look at Essek so close. Long, whispy white lashes contrasting against dark grey skin, the hint of a tear in the corner of closed eyes. Ever so slight lines between his brows. He smelled of cinnamon and citrus and of something slightly more earthy and of  _ home _ . 

They were in a slightly awkward position with Essek still sitting down, and Caleb leaned back after a moment. All Essek’s features seemed to have softened with the kiss, his face less fearful, his pupils slightly blown. 

Caleb pulled Essek out of the chair so they were both standing. This time it was Essek who leaned in, apprehension gone. Caleb let him crash their bodies together, wrapping his own arms around Essek’s waist while Essek’s hands found their way back into Caleb’s hair. Now that the line had been crossed neither of them were holding back anymore, and the kiss quickly turned more heated than the one before. 

Caleb had often heard people compare love and passion to fire, but fire was destructive and dangerous and deadly. This moment, this perfect moment of finally giving in,  _ finally _ , he felt more like there was sunlight running through his veins. Light and warm and hopeful. Making all the shadows of regrets and past mistakes disappear. 

And it had been long, so long since Caleb had let go like this. Hands roaming over Essek’s body, learning the shape of him. He pulled away the dark robes concealing most of Essek and pushed his hands up underneath the delicate silk shirt he was wearing underneath. Essek shuddered beneath his touch, a soft moan falling from his lips. 

It was a lovely noise, Caleb decided, one he’d very much like to hear again. He tore his lips away from Essek’s, leaving a trail of soft kisses down his jaw and neck until settling on the point where his throat met his collarbone, grazing his teeth over the spot before sucking a dark purple bruise onto the delicate patch of skin. 

Essek gasped again, but it seemed he wasn’t ready to surrender all control to Caleb yet, clawing at his coat and pushing it off his shoulders impatiently.

“You wear too many layers,” he growled, voice lower and more raspy than Caleb had heard it before. 

Caleb momentarily paused his assault on Essek neck and grinned. “You’re one to speak. 

One of Essek’s hands came up to Caleb’s chin, gently pulling him back up to look into his eyes. His other hand ran slowly over the strap of Caleb’s holster, almost carefully, coming to rest on the point where it sat on his shoulder. Waiting there. Knowing full well that it contained some of the most precious things Caleb owned. 

Caleb raised his hands to the straps, keeping his eyes focussed on Essek’s, and slowly slid the holster from his shoulders, putting it down on the chair next to him without looking. Essek visibly swallowed, eyes fixed on Caleb’s still, as his quick fingers started unbuttoning his thin shirt. Caleb shrugged out of his waistcoat, unbuckled the belt that had his component pouch and then he hesitated.

In front of him stood Essek, shirtless and more gorgeous than he could’ve ever imagined, all perfect skin and lean lines. 

“What’s wrong?” Essek breathed, catching his hesitation. 

“I’m - you’re beautiful,” Caleb stammered.

Essek reached for him again, hands carefully landing on his hips, fingers slipping under the hem of his sweater. Caleb shivered, lifting his arms over his head in response, allowing Essek to lift the garment over his head, but he looked down, away, not wanting to meet his gaze. Afraid to see disgust or disapproval. More afraid to see pity. 

The soft thud of fabric on fabric as his sweater joined the rest of his clothes on the floor was far too loud in Caleb’s ears. Essek’s hands rested on his shoulders for a moment. Then they slowly slid down his arms. Delicate fingers tracing the faint lines etched into his skin, moving down to his hands, and then back up his arms until they rested on the sides of his face. 

“You are, too, Caleb,” Essek said, as he turned Caleb’s face back up to look at him. “More than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

With that statement, Essek pulled Caleb close again, crashing their bodies together, and Caleb groaned as Essek nuzzled into the crook of his neck and ran his nails down his back. 

“Should we take this somewhere else?” Caleb mumbled into Essek’s ear as he slid his hands down Essek’s chest, ghosting over his sides and snaking around him to cup his ass. 

The familiar rushing feeling lasted only a split second before their feet landed on a soft carpet. Caleb glanced around briefly, just long enough to get a view of his surroundings. Essek’s bedroom was simple, and it occurred to Caleb it probably didn’t get used a lot. He didn’t get a lot of time to consider this, as Essek’s hands were back on him, nails dragging over his skin, his hands exploring every part of him they could find. 

Caleb had seen Essek focussed before: focussed on spellwork, mind completely occupied trying to work out the spell to turn Nott back to Veth, and even focussed on Caleb’s work when he’d first trusted him to look into his spellbook. But now Essek’s attention was fully on Caleb himself, eyes full of quiet determination to learn, to discover, to explore. Quiet, but forceful. 

The thought made a burst of heat rush to his stomach, and with it, his confidence returned. He grabbed hold of Essek’s wrists, catching them in front of him. He started dragging Essek toward the large bed, backward, slow but determined steps. He’d never felt so entranced yet so in control at the same time. It was intoxicating. 

When the backs of his legs hit the bed, he stopped, using his hold on Essek to flip them around so Essek was backed against the bed instead. He let go of Essek’s arms then, running his fingers down Essek’s sides, until they hit the waistband of his leggings.

“Is this okay?” He asked.

Essek hissed something Caleb didn’t understand under his breath, and then added, “I mean yes, Caleb, yes, it’s okay, more than okay.”

Caleb smiled slightly, another wave of heat rushing down his spine as he watched the man in front of him come apart. Essek, ever calm and in control, eyes squeezed shut, biting his lip and groaning softly as Caleb hooked his fingers under the waistband and latched his lips back onto the drow’s throat. He started a trail of wet, open-mouthed kisses down Essek’s chest, dragging the leggings down as he slowly knelt on the ground, revealing Essek’s already prominent erection. 

“Are you sure…?” Caleb asked, looking up.  _ Are you sure you want this? Are you sure you want me?  _

“Yes,” Essek breathed. “Yes - are you?” 

“Yes,” Caleb said. “Very much.”

Essek was looking down at Caleb, eyes hooded, pupils blown, panting slightly, already half gone just from the anticipation of Caleb’s touch. Caleb was on his knees, but he’d never felt more in control. 

“Sit down,” Caleb said softly. 

Essek sat down on the edge of the bed, spreading his legs apart, allowing Caleb to sit between them. 

Caleb traced his fingertips up the insides of Essek’s legs, moving over the soft skin at the tops of his thighs and settling in a gentle grip over his hips. He dipped his head forward, kissing the inside of Essek’s thigh. Essek moaned, and slid one of his hands back into Caleb’s hair. Heat was starting to pool in Caleb’s stomach, his own erection straining against the confines of his trousers. He ignored it for now, full attention on Essek. He kissed his way up Essek’s thigh slowly and Essek’s grip on his hair tightened, though he didn’t try to force Caleb to move any faster. When he finally reached his destination and licked a stripe up Essek’s cock, a shudder went through Essek and a moan fell from his lips, followed by another hiss in undercommon, breathy and desperate. Caleb pressed another sloppy, open-mouthed kiss against the tip and looked up at Essek. 

Essek was looking down at Caleb with a pleading look in his eyes, free hand fisted in the sheets behind him to keep him upright, chest rising and falling quickly with shallow breaths. Caleb slowly, deliberately licked his lips. 

Essek whimpered. “Caleb,  _ please. _ ”

Caleb leaned forward, sliding his mouth down the length of Essek in one smooth motion. It had been  _ a while  _ since Caleb had done this, and it took a moment to adjust to the heaviness on his tongue, but it was a good feeling. He slid back, hollowing out his cheeks, tightening his grip on Essek’s hips as he shuddered again, fingers tightening their grip on Caleb’s hair once more. A series of breathy moans started falling from Essek’s lips as Caleb set a steady rhythm, looking up at Essek, watching him fall apart, looking more beautiful than Caleb had ever dared to imagine. 

“Caleb,” Essek moaned again. “ _Caleb,_ _a l’sussunn, dos ph’faer._ ”

There was something distinctly intoxicating about the way Essek reverted to his mother tongue when losing control, and Caleb moaned around his length in return, getting rewarded immediately with another shudder from Essek. 

Caleb released Essek’s hip from the grasp of his right hand to reach down at his waistband, fumbling with the laces of his trousers. He pulled himself free and started stroking his length, still keeping his eyes on Essek, willing his throat to relax to take him in even deeper. 

“I’m so close,” Essek managed in Common, between strings needy, desperate moans and breathy Undercommon. 

Caleb swallowed around him in response, stroking himself faster and digging the fingers of his left hand deeper into Essek’s hip. 

Essek came with Caleb’s name on his lip, repeating it over and over. Caleb swallowed as Essek spilled into his mouth. The taste of him, and the sight of Essek finally falling apart completely, was enough to drive Caleb over the edge as well. He came hard, covering his hand and stomach. 

He slid his mouth off of Essek, panting and leaning heavily on Essek’s thigh. 

They sat like that for a moment, breathing hard, completely spent. 

Then Essek’s hand slipped from Caleb’s hair, down to his chin, lifting it to look up at him again. 

“Come here,” he said softly. He moved backward onto the bed, and Caleb pushed himself up from the ground, legs slightly shaky, and climbed up on the bed after Essek.

“I’m a mess,” Caleb said apologetically. 

Essek chuckled softly and muttered a few quick words, drawing a vaguely familiar geometric pattern in the air. With a warm rush, Caleb was clean again. 

Caleb smiled down at Essek, leaning over him to press a soft kiss on his lips. 

Essek smiled as well, closing his eyes. “This is not how expected today to go.”

“Good, though, ja?” Caleb asked, tracing a finger up from Essek’s chin to the tip of his ear. 

Essek shuddered. “Much better than good.  _ Llieh. _ ”

“What does that mean?” Caleb asked curiously. 

“Perfect,” Essek answered, opened his eyes again, locking them on Caleb’s. Silver and bright, pupils blown and full of trust and something else, something even warmer. 

“And the other words you said?” Caleb asked, trailing his fingers back down Essek’s neck. 

“What words?” Essek asked innocently.

Caleb chuckled, and closed his eyes for a second to remember. “ _ A l’sussunn, dos fa’fair.” _

“ _ Ph’faer,”  _ Essek corrected. 

Caleb nodded. 

“I guess you’ll have to learn my language,” Essek said, shrugging. 

Caleb rolled his eyes at him. “Two can play that game, Thelyss.”

“What would you call me then,  _ Widogast _ ?”

“Well,” Caleb started, dragging his fingers down Essek’s side, resting them softly on the imprints he’d left on his hip earlier that were slowly starting to purple. “I might tell you you are _ wunderschön _ and -”

_ Caleb? Super sorry if you’re like banging right now, but it’s kinda really important? Beau found something and we really really need your help with -  _

Jester’s voice rang through Caleb’s head loud and clear, and Caleb squeezed his eyes closed for a second, shaking his head in embarrassment, taking a deep breath before replying. 

“No problem, Jester,” he said out loud. “I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

He consciously ended the spell and opened his eyes again. Essek was grinning. 

“Tell her hello from me,” he said. 

Caleb playfully smacked his arm. 

Essek laughed, genuine and melodious, a sound Caleb found he wanted to hear much more often. He sighed. “I have to go.”

Essek’s face turned serious again. “I know.”

“I’ll come by again as soon as I can,” Caleb said. “That is, if you want me to.”

“Of course I want you to,” Essek said. “I wish you could stay now, but I can tell it’s important.” 

“I’m not sure exactly what’s going on,” Caleb said. “But it is, ja. We’re going to be doing some work for Ves DeRogna.”

Essek’s expression darkened. “From the Assembly. Be careful.”

“Ja, I’ll try,” Caleb said. He kissed Essek again, willing himself to remember every detail: the softness of Essek’s lips, the cinnamon and citrus scent now mixed in with the distinct smell of sex, the feeling of Essek’s hands, grabbing onto his shoulders as if to keep him there forever. 

Caleb pushed himself up on his arms and climbed off the bed, laced his trousers back up and looked around the room confused for a second. 

Essek looked at him questioningly, wrapping a blanket around himself.

“I don’t know how to get back to the living room from here,” Caleb admitted, gesturing at the room they were standing in.

“Oh, right,” Essek said, cheeks turning a warm shade of purple. “I guess I sort of dragged you here. Come on.” He walked over to Caleb, grabbing his hand and guiding him through the door and down a narrow spiral staircase. 

Back in the living room the fire had died down to glowing embers, casting the room in a faint warm glow. Caleb quickly put the rest of his clothes back on. He was hyper aware of Essek’s eyes on him as he dressed, the idea enough to feel the warmth return to his stomach somewhat. 

Essek led him to another room in the tower, mostly empty, where Caleb started drawing the pattern of the teleportation circle in Rexxentrum on the floor.

When he was nearly done he turned back to Essek. Caleb felt it was slightly unfair that someone who looked like such a mess looked so perfect at the same time. He was holding the blanket around him without much effort, revealing more of him than covering up. His usually perfectly coiffed hair was a mess, wavy strands of white falling over his forehead and into his eyes. A dark purple bruise adorning his collar bone, pupils still blown, lips twisted up in a slightly crooked grin. 

Caleb wrapped his arms around his waist, kissing him again, slow and deep, before eventually tearing himself away.

“Go on, your friends need you,” Essek said, forehead pressed against Caleb’s.

A breathy chuckle escaped from Caleb’s lips. “You’re making it hard for me to leave.”

Essek smiled again. “Good. Regardless, you should go.” 

“I’ll be back,” Caleb said. 

“Be careful.”

Caleb nodded and pressed another quick kiss to Essek’s lips before kneeling back down by the circle and completing the spell. “See you soon, Thelyss.”

“Good bye, Widogast.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap! Thanks so much for the wonderful comments so far, it means a lot :)
> 
> See you around? Maybe? Might write more CR? Who knows. 
> 
> Much love!

**Author's Note:**

> If I do add a second chapter later it shall be smut with little plot, so if that's not your cup of tea, feel free to stop right here :) 
> 
> Also hello CR fandom, I haven't written for you before, how are you doing? 
> 
> You can yell at me on [Twitter](http://twitter.com/isacosplay) if you want.
> 
> Much love <3


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